One thing I enjoy about marriage is always having someone to go for a walk with, and apparently moderate exercise can be more beneficial than a strenuous workout.
Scientists examining the relationship between the intensity and length of a workout and the duration of its benefits have made a surprising discovery: More isn't necessarily better, and none may be worse than we ever imagined."On the surface, it seems to make sense that the harder we exercise, the better off we'll be, and by some measures that's true," says lead author Cris Slentz, Ph.D, an exercise physiologist at Duke University Medical Center. "But our studies show that a modest amount of moderately intense exercise is the best way to significantly lower the level of a key blood marker linked to higher risk of heart disease and diabetes. More intense exercise doesn't seem to do that."
What may be even more remarkable, he says, is that some of the benefits derived from a modest exercise regimen appear to last much longer than those gained from a more rigorous program.
Even a little exercise can make a huge difference in your health over time.
But perhaps the most interesting finding was that a modest, low-intensity workout – walking just 30 minutes per day, for example, dramatically lowered triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are the particles that carry fat around in the body, and they're also a good indicator of insulin resistance, a marker for diabetes. Lowering triglyceride levels lowers risk of heart disease and diabetes."A proper exercise program appears to be able to lower a person's insulin resistance in just a matter of days," says Kraus. "We were also amazed to see that the lower triglyceride levels stayed low even two weeks after the workouts ended." Longer, more intense workouts didn't have nearly the same impact, they say.
While the researchers were surprised by the amount and duration of the benefits from a modest exercise program, they say they were not surprised by the results from the control group. "And they are alarming," says Kraus. Over six months, those participants gained two pounds and about a half an inch around the waist. "That may not sound like much, but over a decade at that rate, that would mean an additional 40 pounds and ten inches," he says. "So doing a little is a whole lot better than doing nothing at all."
(HT: FuturePundit.)
I think that's exactly right. Most people don't distinguish between the amount of exercise they can survive and the amount of exercise they can maintain for months on end. And that's where gyms make all their money. Several weeks of high-intensity endorphin-producing exercise usually causes mounting fatigue, minor injury, and muscle tension---except for people in their teens and young twenties, who heal fast enough to maintain a more strenuous pace.
I think that most people exercise to recapture the vigor of youth. They figure that if they work out as hard as they did when they were 16, then they'll get back the body they had when they were 16. But the hormones simply aren't there when you're older, and your body can't heal as fast. It's still possible to get into great shape like that, but it takes a long time at a steady pace that doesn't overwhelm your body.
I wish it were true.I now walk my dog 5 miles a day and I'm a shadow of the man I was when I ran 35 miles a week.
DG: What do you mean by "shadow of the man you were"? Do you only mean that you are less able to perform strenuous exercise, or do you mean that you are worse off in a broader sense, e.g. less happy, less healthy, less attractive, or less successful?
Actually I'm fat(6',185lbs) and happy but that has a lot more to do with my girlfriend than my fitness level.I used to be tough, I could row a whitewater raft 25 miles into a headwind on a daily basis, hop on my bike and ride a 100 miles, no problem. I used to ski 40,000 vertical feet a day, now I ski 25.There's something really cool about being a "tough guy" on the "pro recreation circuit".But in reality, now I like waking up next to my sweetie in an all inclusive resort in Cabo. I never daydream about windsurfing in mast high waves anymore. Something is lost, but more is gained in the decrepitude of old age, I'm 53 now and I like it.I could still do any of that stuff if I had to, but I've lost the fire.
DG: Sounds like you've had some incredible experiences :) Lounging in Cabo doesn't sound bad though either....
DG: I think you're too hard on yourself to declare yourself "fat" at 6', 185lbs, especially at age 53. It depends on your frame somewhat, but if you're still walking 5 miles a day then I'd say you're well within the "normal" range.